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Obama: First pooch may be mutt 'like me'

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-09 14:06

WASHINGTON  – US president-elect Barack Obama Friday admitted he faced a monumental challenge after promising his daughters a dog after the campaign, saying some of the pooches the first family-to-be were considering were "mutts like me."

A adult poodle. The American Kennel Club (AKC) offered to help Obama and his wife, Michelle, find a dog for their daughters and noted that a poll conducted by the AKC at presidentialpup.com in August determined that the right breed for them would be a poodle. [Agencies]

The more serious burdens facing Obama upon entering the White House -- in particular the slowing economy -- took up the bulk of his first press conference since his historic election victory Tuesday.

But Obama managed to make light of the need to choose the right pet for his daughters Sasha, seven, and Malia, 10, while poking a bit of fun at his own bi-racial heritage, a topic discussed at length during the 2008 campaign.

"With respect to the dog, this is a major issue. I think it has generated more interest on our website than just about anything," Obama said.

In revealing that Malia is allergic, Obama stressed the need for a hypoallergenic breed of dog, which produces fewer allergic reactions in people.

But he said the family needed to reconcile that with their preference for dogs obtained from an animal shelter, which are often mixed-breeds.

"There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic, but on the other hand our preference is to get a shelter dog. But obviously, a lot of the shelter dogs are mutts like me," he quipped.

Obama's mother was a white woman from Kansas and his father was from Kenya.

His race has been a point of discussion since he launched his bid for the presidency nearly two years ago, and his Tuesday victory triggered a wave of elation as people around the globe celebrated an African-American elected to lead the world's most powerful nation.

In his victory speech Tuesday night, Obama revealed the family was getting a puppy.

"Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House," he said to wild applause.

Presidential pets have long been a focus of intense interest. Every president since Calvin Coolidge, elected in 1923, has had at least one dog in the White House, according to dogsinthenews.com.